Wintertime Shoe Maintenance

Hold the salt

For those shoes in more severe climatic regions, salt lines eventually appear every winter. It’s like waiting for the two-minute warning every game. However, when they do show up, don’t consider it too late to change the outcome. Salt stains can easily be wiped away with a damp cloth. In fact, proactive planners can use a clean, damp cloth (or a brush) to gently wipe the upper before the salt has time to settle when coming in from overtly salty conditions.

Shoe-saving tip: Desalting products do wonders, but a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water gives the same effect.

Don’t be suede

Not all leather gets equal treatment. Suede, a handsome wintertime textile, doesn’t get the same cleaning techniques as smooth leathers. In fact, we should avoid getting it wet altogether so it doesn’t lose its texture. Yes, that’s limiting, but it beats the alternative. We will wear our suede shoes, though, and they will get dirty; but a brush or polish isn’t the answer. To clean suede, a pencil eraser eradicates stains and scuffs; a fingernail file works as well.

Shoe-saving tip: To combat winter’s damaging effects on suede, use a dry toothbrush to raise the nap should it get flattened or damaged.

Now smell this

It’s a catch-22: Wool socks complement cold weather, but they may have the adverse effect on shoes. While the heavier fabric warms our feet, it also causes them to sweat, which causes shoes to smell. Smelly shoes are less than desirable, and the damp conditions outside only compound the problem as well. So, this winter we should pay attention to this aspect of wintertime shoe maintenance and use simple solutions to help absorb odors. Shoe trees offer a holistic treatment, but talcum powder supplies a means to an end as well. Either way, odors will be minimized and wearability will be maximized.

Shoe-saving tip: Place a dryer sheet in shoes with major odor issues; the sheet will absorb the odor and its aroma will linger long after it’s been removed.

snow shoes

This winter, let’s take a stand against the harshest season for dress shoes. Obviously, we can’t do it by walking around in snow shoes, but we can do it by walking around in shoes that are prepped for the snow — and these simple steps are the tools we need to get there.